Round Kyusu/Tea Pot (Matte Black)

The Round Kyusu from NANKEI POTTERY (南景製陶園) draws its form from the iron alms bowl carried by Buddhist monks — low, composed, with nothing decorative about it. This is the oldest and most enduring shape in the Banko-yaki tradition of Yokkaichi, Mie Prefecture, a shape NANKEI has kept unchanged for over fifty years. The stoneware clay is high in iron and blended specifically for tea, fired without glaze using the yakishime method: the iron content turns black in the kiln, and the unglazed interior leaves the fine surface texture open to the tea. That texture moderates astringency, rounds the flavour, and darkens slowly with every brew. An 18-8 stainless steel full-bottom mesh lets even the finest tea leaves pour freely, with a gap between mesh and body to keep leaves out of residual water — so second and third infusions stay clean.

At 240ml it is sized for a quiet one-to-two person session. Clean by rinsing; bleach lightly twice a year if you use it daily.